On 3 August 2005, a junta led by Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, director-general of the Sûreté National, and Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, commander of the presidential security battalion, seized power in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. The coup, which responded to the growing unpopularity and declining legitimacy of President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya's regime, signifies a break with the past but also reflects significant continuity in terms both of method and personalities. The new leaders must demonstrate they are in the business of promoting change rather than preserving the status quo and they will uphold the rule of law. The international community, which quickly accepted the government after mostly formal objections to how it came to power, will need to press it to respect its commitments, in particular on the issue of the promised democratic transition and its timetable.

This content is published in French - La transition politique en Mauritanie : Bilan et perspectives